Surface treating method for a golf club head

ABSTRACT

A surface treating method for a golf club head made of carbon steel basically has one nitriding step and two oxidizing steps. The method further has polishing, sandblasting and rinsing steps and so on processed prior to or between the basic steps, and then has polishing and oil immersing steps and so on processed after the basic steps. The finished golf club head has uniform dark appearance and also has good corrosion resistance and abrasion resistance. Furthermore, the surface of the finished golf club head does not peel off. Moreover, the method also has advantages including low pollution and low cost.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to a manufacturing method for a golf clubhead, particularly to a surface treating method for a golf club headthat has been formed by a forming progress.

2. Description of the Prior Arts

A conventional golf club head made of carbon steel easily rusts so thatthe conventional golf club head made of carbon steel is subjected tosurface treatment by electroplating, ion plating and so on to improvethe appearance of the conventional golf club head.

With regards to electroplating technology, the conventional golf clubhead is electroplated with a nickel layer or a chromium layer in brightsilver. The thickness of the nickel layer is about 20 to 25 μm and thethickness of the chromium layer is about 3 to 8 μm. However, because theelectroplating surface treating method is processed with heavy metalchemical agents, the environment is polluted and human health is harmed.Further, the electroplating layer is not secured tightly on the golfclub head. When the conventional golf club head is used after a periodof time, the electroplating layer easily peels off. Moreover, with thenickel layer or the chromium layer, the appearance of the golf club headcan only be made in bright silver, but cannot be made in black, darkbrown or other dark colors.

As for ion plating technology, the golf club head can be made in irongray, black or other dark colors. However, using ion plating method totreat the surface of the golf club head costs high. Further, thicknessof the black layer made by the ion plating is only about 1 to 5 μm suchthat the layer made by the ion plating has poor corrosion resistance andabrasion resistance.

To overcome the shortcomings, the present invention provides a surfacetreating method for a golf club head to mitigate or obviate theaforementioned problems.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The main objective of the present invention is to provide a surfacetreating method that conditions the golf club head to have goodcorrosion resistance and abrasion resistance and also to have a goodappearance. The surface treating method for a golf club head made ofcarbon steel basically has one nitriding step and two oxidizing steps.The method further has polishing, sandblasting, and rinsing steps and soon processed prior to or between the basic steps, and then has polishingand oil immersing steps and so on processed after the basic steps. Thefinished golf club head has uniform dark appearance and also has goodcorrosion resistance and abrasion resistance. Furthermore, the surfaceof the finished golf club head does not peel off. Moreover, the methodalso has advantages including low pollution and low cost.

Other objectives, advantages and novel features of the invention willbecome more apparent from the following detailed description when takenin conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a flow chart of a surface treating method for a golf club headin accordance with the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

With reference to FIG. 1, a surface treating method for a golf club headin accordance with the present invention comprises the following acts.

A golf club head is provided. The golf club head is made of carbon steelsuch as low carbon steel, medium carbon steel and high carbon steel, oris made of alloy steel consisting of carbon steel and other materialsthat are added with certain purposes by casting, forging or other means.The golf club head may be wood golf club head or iron golf club head.

The golf club head is ground by grinding machine performing grindingmeans on the golf club head to condition the shape of the golf clubhead.

The surface of the ground golf club head is rinsed to remove theresidues on the surface of the golf club head. In a preferredembodiment, the golf club head is rinsed by ultrasonic means.

The surface of the rinsed golf club head is checked to inspect whetherthe shape of the golf club head is qualified, or whether holes areformed on the surface of the golf club head. The golf club heads havingnon-qualified shapes or holes are eliminated and the golf club headsthat are qualified are preserved.

The qualified golf club head is sandblasted to form a predeterminedabrasive surface on the golf club head.

The sandblasted golf club head is rinsed to remove the residues on thesurface of the golf club head. In a preferred embodiment, the golf clubhead is rinsed by chemical agents such as acetone.

Then the golf club head is mounted on a jig and is transported. The jigis chosen based on the size of the golf club head and protects the golfclub head to keep the golf club head from pressing and pumping in thefollowing steps.

The golf club head on the jig is pre-heated by passing through anenvironment at 350° C. to 400° C. so that the water on the surface ofthe golf club head is removed to keep the surface of the golf club headdry and the golf club head is also pre-heated to a predeterminedtemperature.

The pre-heated golf club head is nitrided. The pre-heated golf club headis put into a sealed nitriding reactor at 350° C. to 400° C. for one tothree hours. With the active nitrogen generated by the nitriding reactorpermeating into the golf club head, the surface of the golf club headhas a nitride layer having good corrosion resistance and abrasionresistance.

The nitrided golf club head is processed with first oxidizing. In apreferred embodiment, the golf club head is put into an aerobicenvironment at 380° C. to 450° C. for thirty to sixty minutes to form anoxide layer on the surface of the golf club head. Therefore, the oxidelayer is formed outside the nitride layer to protect the nitride layerproperly.

Then the golf club head is cooled and rinsed. The surface of the golfclub head is rinsed and cooled down.

The golf club head is sandblasted or polished. The golf club head istaken off from the jig and the surface of the golf club head issandblasted or polished to remove the loosening layer on the nitridelayer and to remove a part of the oxide layer.

The golf club head is mounted on the jig again and transported. The jigprotects the golf club head to keep the golf club head from pressing andpumping in the following steps.

The golf club head on the jig is pre-heated by passing through anenvironment at 350° C. to 400° C. so that the golf club head ispre-heated to a predetermined temperature.

The nitrided golf club head is processed with second oxidizing. In apreferred embodiment, the golf club head is put into an aerobicenvironment at 380° C. to 450° C. for thirty to sixty minutes to form adark oxide layer on the surface of the golf club head in dark colorssuch as black, dark blue or dark brown. Further, by the secondoxidization, the dark oxide layer on the surface of the golf club headalso displays a uniform color.

Then the golf club head is cooled and rinsed. The surface of the golfclub head is rinsed and cooled down.

The golf club head is baked to dry the surface of the golf club head. Ina preferred embodiment, the golf club head is put in the oven at 60° C.for about thirty minutes.

The golf club head is polished to display a uniform dark appearance onthe golf club head such as black, dark blue, dark brown and so on.

The golf club head is oil immersed. The golf club head is put into theoven at 60° C. for pre-heating. When the golf club head is taken outfrom the oven, the golf club head is immediately immersed in theantirust oil at 60° C. and then taken out of the antirust oil and standsat room temperature for fifteen to thirty minutes. Then the golf clubhead is swabbed to be dried by dry cloth.

The appearance of the oil immersed golf club head is checked to finishthe surface treatment.

With the aforementioned steps, the surface treating method as describedhas the following advantages:

1. Low contamination, low environmental pollution and conforming toenvironmental protection: The surface treating method as described usesthe nitriding means and oxidizing means for two times to treat thesurface of the golf club head so that the chemical agents are reduced tolower the pollution and to conform to the environmental protection.

2. Good corrosion resistance and abrasion resistance: The surfacetreating method as described uses the nitriding means and oxidizingmeans for two times to provide the layer on the surface of the golf clubhead with good corrosion resistance and abrasion resistance, and also toprovide good antirust function for the surface of the golf club headmade of carbon steel.

3. No layer peeling off: Because the surface treating method asdescribed uses the nitriding means and oxidizing means for two times,the nitrogen permeates into the surface of the golf club head to formnitride layer and oxide layer. The nitride layer and oxide layer areformed by chemical reaction so that are bound securely to the surfaceand do not peel off from the surface of the golf club head.

4. No weight and size change: Because the surface treating method asdescribed uses the nitriding means and oxidizing means for two times,the nitrogen permeates into the surface of the golf club head to formnitride layer and oxide layer. The golf club head does not have anyextra layer so that the weight and the size of the golf club head arenot changed.

5. Good appearance: The golf club head treated by the method asdescribed has a beautiful appearance in uniform pure black, dark blue,or dark brown.

Even though numerous characteristics and advantages of the presentinvention have been set forth in the foregoing description, togetherwith details of the structure and features of the invention, thedisclosure is illustrative only. Changes may be made in the details,especially in matters of shape, size, and arrangement of parts withinthe principles of the invention to the full extent indicated by thebroad general meaning of the terms in which the appended claims areexpressed.

What is claimed is:
 1. A surface treating method for a golf club headcomprising acts of: providing a golf club head made of carbon steel;grinding the golf club head; rinsing the golf club head; checking asurface of the golf club head; sandblasting the surface of the golf clubhead to form a predetermined abrasive surface on the golf club head;rinsing the sandblasted golf club head; mounting and transporting thegolf club head on a jig; pre-heating the golf club head on the jig;nitriding the pre-heated golf club head to form a nitride layer havinggood corrosion resistance and abrasion resistance on the surface of thegolf club head; first oxidizing the nitrided golf club head to form anoxide layer on the surface of the golf club head; cooling and rinsingthe golf club head; taking off the golf club head from the jig andsandblasting or polishing the golf club head to remove a loosening layeron the nitride layer; remounting the golf club head on the jig;pre-heating the golf club head to 350° C. to 400° C. so that the golfclub head is pre-heated to a predetermined temperature; second oxidizingthe nitrided golf club head to form a dark oxide layer on the surface ofthe golf club head; cooling and rinsing the golf club head; baking anddrying the golf club head; polishing the golf club head to display auniform dark appearance on the golf club head; oil immersing the golfclub head by pre-heating the golf club head first and then immediatelyimmersing the golf club head into an antirust oil, and then taking thegolf club head out of the antirust oil and swabbing the golf club headto dry the golf club head; and checking the oil immersed golf club headto finish the surface treatment.
 2. The surface treating method for agolf club head as claimed in claim 1, wherein in the steps ofpre-heating the golf club head on the jig, the golf club head passesthrough a pre-heated environment at 350° C. to 400° C.; in the step ofnitriding the pre-heated golf club head, the pre-heated golf club headis put into a sealed nitriding reactor at 350° C. to 400° C. for one tothree hours; in the step of first oxidizing the nitrided golf club head,the golf club head is put into an aerobic environment at 380° C. to 450°C. for thirty to sixty minutes; and in the step of second oxidizing thenitrided golf club head, the golf club head is put into an aerobicenvironment at 380° C. to 450° C. for thirty to sixty minutes.
 3. Thesurface treating method for a golf club head as claimed in claim 2,wherein in the step of baking and drying the golf club head, the golfclub head is put in an oven at 60° C. for about thirty minutes.
 4. Thesurface treating method for a golf club head as claimed in claim 2,wherein the step of oil immersing the golf club head comprises acts of:putting the golf club head into an oven at 60° C. for pre-heating;taking the golf club head out of the oven; immediately immersing thegolf club head in the antirust oil at 60° C.; standing the golf clubhead in the antirust oil at room temperature for fifteen to thirtyminutes; taking the golf club head out of the antirust oil; and swabbingand drying the golf club head by a dry cloth.
 5. The surface treatingmethod for a golf club head as claimed in claim 3, wherein the step ofoil immersing the golf club head comprises acts of: putting the golfclub head into an oven at 60° C. for pre-heating; taking the golf clubhead out of the oven; immediately immersing the golf club head in theantirust oil at 60° C.; standing the golf club head in the antirust oilat room temperature for fifteen to thirty minutes; taking the golf clubhead out of the antirust oil; and swabbing and drying the golf club headby a dry cloth.